must have apps

Astro file manager - backs up your un protected apps, installs apps from your sdcard, browse your sdcard with ease
Atrackdog - keeps you up to date on all apps even if they arent in the market
Google voice - well if you have a google voice account and use it its self explanitory
APKatcher - it installs apps attached to your gmail right from your gmail app

DroidLive for listening to streaming music. Google Listen is the best podcast listener - it links your subscriptions to your gmail so you don't need to add them back in case of reset - and it's free! LastFM and imeem. Last, but not least, are Bookmarker and BookmarkBR. Used in conjunction, they allow you to organize your browser bookmarks and then backup and restore from sd.

DroidLive for listening to streaming music. Google Listen is the best podcast listener - it links your subscriptions to your gmail so you don't need to add them back in case of reset - and it's free! LastFM and imeem. Last, but not least, are Bookmarker and BookmarkBR. Used in conjunction, they allow you to organize your browser bookmarks and then backup and restore from sd.

SMS Backup -- Backs up all your text messages to a label in Gmail. Very nice!

Places Directory by Google -- Great for finding any type of business near you. Uses your location and compass to point you in the right direction. I love it. As you turn the phone, the arrows to the search results turn.

Sticky Memo Widget Lite -- Cool notepad app that you can add a sticky with to one of the homescreens.

Shazam - Music ID Twidroid - They have a paid version and a free one... the new update they did is pretty nice... it makes twitter an enjoyable experience Ringdroid - Make ringtones from your phone using any music stored on your phoneiMusic - Allows you to download music to your phone... Handcent - SMS client that lets you customize your fonts, colors, etcChompSMS - Another SMS client that lets you customize

Weatherbug
WAY better than the Weather Channel App. The notification plugin is nice, puts the temperature in your notification bar. Swipe the notification bar into the shade mode and it shows a bit more detail about the current weather. Now I can see the weather without unlocking my phone. The actual app is pretty nice for seeing forcast. Widgets (there's two!) are pretty nice as well.

Swift
Not the best twitter app, but I like it better than Twidroid because it has a fast, built in browser. So when people post a link or a photo in their tweet, you can see it without opening the main browser, which can take awhile to open.

ABCOrganizer Lite
This has really sped up my phone. Instead of cluttering up my 3 screens (stock home) with tons of icons, I use ABCorganizer lite to make little live folders. A Stands for Apps, B stands for Bookmarks, and C stands for Contacts. You can create live folders that are combinations of these three things. Great for organizing your apps. The less stuff on your home screen, the faster it runs. One of the best things about an ABCOrganizer live folder is that it CLOSES ITSELF after you click on the app, bookmark, or contact. No longer navigating back to the home screen to see a folder still open, waiting for you to close it.

BuddyMob
BuddyMob allows you to write one status update, and have it cross-post to twitter and facebook at the same time.

Locale
Easily the most useful app on my phone that I don't actually open.
When I go to the gym in the morning, locale turns down my notifications volume, turns down the screen brightness(gym is plenty bright), changes the background, and updates my google talk status to "@ the gym". This is based on two conditions: time (Mon-Sat between 6 and 9am) and location. I don't always go to the gym at the same time, and if I'm sick or end up not going, then locale doesn't change anything. When I leave the gym, once i'm far enough away, it returns to defaults.
When my partner, family, or friends call -- Locale turns on bluetooth so I can connect my headset.
If I'm in my apartment between 11pm and 4am, Locale gives me a moon background and turns down the ringer and notification sounds so they don't wake me up.
I'm a temp, and all my temp assignments are appointments in my google calendar. All of my temp assignments are downtown. So if I'm (1) Downtown and (2) it's during a temp assignment calendar item, the background changes to boring, the phone goes on vibrate, brightness decreases, Google Talk updates to "@ work, may be busy", and screen timeout goes 30 seconds.
There are a lot of plugins for locale. many of them free, and it seems every couple weeks there are more and more. There are ones to send SMS, sent Tweets, turn on/off auto-sync, turn on/off GPS, turn on/off spoken caller ID, make your computer wakeup, launch an app, etc, etc etc

K-9 Mail
It's an alternate email client. I use it for my second job with a theatre company. I chose K-9 because it had the option to set up a signature, and to BCC-self on my emails from my phone. They've recently added "push" so it seems like my emails come immediately, instead of when I have K-9 check, but I haven't really tested it. Great app, though.

SMS Backup -- Backs up all your text messages to a label in Gmail. Very nice!

Places Directory by Google -- Great for finding any type of business near you. Uses your location and compass to point you in the right direction. I love it. As you turn the phone, the arrows to the search results turn.

Sticky Memo Widget Lite -- Cool notepad app that you can add a sticky with to one of the homescreens.

Where-great for finding anything in your area. I mainly use it to find the cheapest gas prices in the current area that I'm in, and also the mobile coupons rule! Definitely a must have app in ANY android phone.

Free version works fine albeit slowly, but I like the $22 version, much faster, which practically replaces iTunes listening/syncing and iPhoto watching/syncing on your iPod to the same on Android OS phones. Then you only have to carry one device, that is if you have a large enough memory card on your phone. I've got 16 gigs, which is just enough with what I want to put on my Android phone, a T-Mobile Motorola Cliq.

I rate it way up there in most useful apps, although this is really a Mac OS program. Couldn't be easier and more automatic. Highly recommended.

Free version works fine albeit slowly, but I like the $22 version, much faster, which practically replaces iTunes listening/syncing and iPhoto watching/syncing on your iPod to the same on Android OS phones. Then you only have to carry one device, that is if you have a large enough memory card on your phone. I've got 16 gigs, which is just enough with what I want to put on my Android phone, a T-Mobile Motorola Cliq.

I rate it way up there in most useful apps, although this is really a Mac OS program. Couldn't be easier and more automatic. Highly recommended.

BTW I'm just a satisfied end user and don't work for the company.[/FONT]

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Totally Agree, this is an awesome Mac/Android Application! Has really made my life much easier.

If you are a Mac user "AND" use iTunes... Salling Media Sync is made for you. I also have the $22 version.

You simply create your playlist as you normally do with itunes, connect your Cliq & mount it on your Mac. Open Salling Media Sync and choose the playlist to sync and it does the rest... no dragging & dropping necessary!

Astro file manager - backs up your un protected apps, installs apps from your sdcard, browse your sdcard with ease
Atrackdog - keeps you up to date on all apps even if they arent in the market
Google voice - well if you have a google voice account and use it its self explanitory
APKatcher - it installs apps attached to your gmail right from your gmail app

I will list more as I think of them.

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Pandora - Music
Weatherchannel Widget, just updated yesterday
Livescore - up to date sports scores
Meebo - just downloaded it and it is pretty cool

Where-great for finding anything in your area. I mainly use it to find the cheapest gas prices in the current area that I'm in, and also the mobile coupons rule! Definitely a must have app in ANY android phone.

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I have Where, but it doesn't update the data. For instance, new restaurants are listed, but old ones that closed 2 or 3 years ago are still listed.